Saturday, January 03, 2009

Eyebank Advertisments

The Eyebank has these two subway advertisements that really get on my nerves. And what is a blog for if not for pointless complaints. Next from Literary Professor Geoff Klock a four part series entitled "Get off my Lawn." Nevertheless.

Here is what the Eyebank wants to do:

The public service campaign throughout the New York area is part of The Eye-Bank's public education program to reach the community and increase awareness about this urgent need for eye donors.

On poster has Vanessa Williams and her brother representing their father:

Milton Williams was a gifted music teacher for over 43 years, right here in New York. And his greatest lesson was that of being an eye donor. When he passed away, he gave the beautiful gift of sight. It only takes a minute to sign up to be an eye donor. Do it today.

Jerry Orbach also gets his own poster with this text

Jerry Orbach was a gifted actor and his greatest role was that of an eye donor. Years ago, Jerry decided to donate his eyes. When he passed away, he left behind the beautiful gift of sight. Sign up to be an eye donor. Do it today.

I cannot understand why, in both instances, the Eyebank has to make the claim that the donation of eyeballs was a more significant achievement than the things Milton Williams and Jerry Orbach did in life. Doesn't making the claim that the raw materials of talented people are more wonderful than the people themselves play right into the negative stereotype of doctors as heartless organ harvesters? I suppose I see that they mean the decision to donate, rather than the parts, is the thing, but it still seems like a mean thing to say about someone who taught music to kids for years -- they guy goes in every day and tries to DO SOMETHING, but the Eyebank holds a box he checked when he got his drivers license as more important than that. It implies that any awful human being who donates his eyes has done more to help the world than, say, a music teacher who forgets. Any sensible person could fix this with a handful of words, along the lines of "Jerry Orbach was a gifted actor who gave the world so much. And he continued to give even in death -- the gift of sight." Gah.

About Me

Geoff Klock has a big degree from a fancy-pants university. He wrote some books on superheroes and poetry like 10 years ago. Also essays on film, and TV and teaching. You have Google, right? He spoke at the Met once, and inspired a name of a villain in Matt Fraction's Casanova, which is a really good comic book. He made a crazy mash up of like 200 movie and TV clips quoting Hamlet. Geoff teaches mostly writing, but also Old Brit Lit and Film, at BMCC. He rides a bicycle to get there. He is very good at Facebook?

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